As children prepare to head back to school, a nutritious meal will be an important way to start off their day.
New data from Breakfast Club of Canada is highlighting the growing need for programs to make sure it’s possible for all kids to receive those meals.
“Kids show up to school every day and, very often, don’t have the nutrition that they need to get through that day in a positive way or be their best selves at school,” said Ryan Baker, Breakfast Club of Canada programs lead.
“What we want to make sure is that every student has that ability and has that chance to be their best self.”
In Toronto alone, Breakfast Club of Canada supports 863 breakfast programs reaching more than 250,000 children.
According to the non-profit organization, one in three Ontario children lives in a household affected by food insecurity — while nearly 2.4 million children across Canada face that reality.
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“We know that universal programs, they improve health by promoting food and nutrition security, they encourage long-term healthy eating habits and they support student’s mental and physical health,” said Tara Galloro with the City of Toronto.
Galloro is a policy development officer with the city’s poverty reduction office.
“[Universal food programs] also reduce behavioural and emotional difficulties, such as bullying, aggression, anxiety and they positively impact educational outcomes.”
This fall, Toronto’s Student Nutrition Program will expand to an additional 78 public schools in the city, marking the final phase of its universal morning meal program.
However, University of Toronto professor emerita Valerie Tarasuk thinks food is only part of the story.
“By the time the household is struggling to put food on the table, they are struggling with a whole lot of things: utility payments, telecommunications, rent, transportation, you name it. Food is just one part of the budget,” said Tarasuk.
She sees children coming to school without breakfast as a signal that there’s a bigger problem to tackle — household economic issues that require government assistance.
“We just have to go back to the drawing board a little bit and say, ‘How come we have this problem?’ What better could we be doing with these benefit programs to make sure they’re reaching people who need them and they’re providing adequate support,” Tarasuk added.
The Canada Child Benefit and Ontario Child Benefit are currently in place to help low-income families provide for children under 18. Tarasuk wants to see those improved upon.
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